We Prayed for Rain
It hadn’t rained forever it seemed in our little West Texas
town. Not just ours, but all of West
Texas it seemed.
As a child that seemed unforgivable. If it didn’t rain soon, we could all be dead. Even though we were small children we knew it to be true. We could see it in the world around us.
Our world at least seemed to be desolate and dry. If we’d had grass, it had all withered away. If there had been any flowers, they were all slowly dying on the vine. For sure if all this was happening then the food chain would be next to fail.
But momma, momma had something that it seemed no one else had. She had faith.
You see, momma was not just a momma, she was our first teacher. She taught us from an early age just who Jesus was. Who He could be. Who He wanted us to be. How we could go to Him in prayer and in faith believe and He would answer those prayers.
But most of all she taught us how much He loved us. How He loved us so much that He was willing to die on an old rugged cross for us.
Looking back on those early years it amazes me how much she taught us and showed us about Jesus. Knowing now how she was raised and had lived.
You see, momma wasn’t raised in church. Not that she hadn’t gone to church but being sent or going on occasion is a far cry from being raised in church. She said that her mother would send her and her sisters and brother but didn’t go herself as she felt she didn’t have good enough clothes. With seven kids, money was tight. What little they had was used on the kids to make sure they had clothes and such.
Momma learned the little bible stories from Sunday School that every child learns. She tells the story of re-enacting the story of David and Goliath when David swings his slingshot around and around while standing on a chair and fell off it.
Thank God for foundational stories. But if you are not raised in church then after a while that is all they become, stories. Much like a fairytale one might hear. Cinderella, Pinocchio, David and Goliath.
But even though as a child she was sent to church it gets hard to send a teenager to church. Even if you are raised in church, so many times the teen years become the lost years. I would know. I was a teenager once. And momma, well she was a teenager once herself. In every sense of the word, she was a teenager! Wild child might not have been what or who she was, but it came close.
Family life left her looking and longing for love and acceptance. Many times, I am sure she felt as if she had found it only to have her heart broken and her dreams dashed from disappointed love. But that didn’t stop her from pressing on.
Momma was beautiful, as a matter of fact, she still is. I am sure everyone believes their mothers to be beautiful, and I am sure they are. I know my brothers and sisters all know ours is!
But back in the day, her early years, she was a looker.
Dark hair, a splattering of freckles and a va-va-voom figure. She was noticeable. She had, I guess, plenty of boyfriends. But momma wanted love and marriage and of course the proverbial baby carriage, just like all the other young ladies she hung around with.
So, at a young age, she settled on the one she believed would fulfill all those longings. She discovered shortly into the marriage that she had been wrong. It took a little while, but divorce number one was in the books. But still you press on. Momma did.
As a child that seemed unforgivable. If it didn’t rain soon, we could all be dead. Even though we were small children we knew it to be true. We could see it in the world around us.
Our world at least seemed to be desolate and dry. If we’d had grass, it had all withered away. If there had been any flowers, they were all slowly dying on the vine. For sure if all this was happening then the food chain would be next to fail.
But momma, momma had something that it seemed no one else had. She had faith.
You see, momma was not just a momma, she was our first teacher. She taught us from an early age just who Jesus was. Who He could be. Who He wanted us to be. How we could go to Him in prayer and in faith believe and He would answer those prayers.
But most of all she taught us how much He loved us. How He loved us so much that He was willing to die on an old rugged cross for us.
Looking back on those early years it amazes me how much she taught us and showed us about Jesus. Knowing now how she was raised and had lived.
You see, momma wasn’t raised in church. Not that she hadn’t gone to church but being sent or going on occasion is a far cry from being raised in church. She said that her mother would send her and her sisters and brother but didn’t go herself as she felt she didn’t have good enough clothes. With seven kids, money was tight. What little they had was used on the kids to make sure they had clothes and such.
Momma learned the little bible stories from Sunday School that every child learns. She tells the story of re-enacting the story of David and Goliath when David swings his slingshot around and around while standing on a chair and fell off it.
Thank God for foundational stories. But if you are not raised in church then after a while that is all they become, stories. Much like a fairytale one might hear. Cinderella, Pinocchio, David and Goliath.
But even though as a child she was sent to church it gets hard to send a teenager to church. Even if you are raised in church, so many times the teen years become the lost years. I would know. I was a teenager once. And momma, well she was a teenager once herself. In every sense of the word, she was a teenager! Wild child might not have been what or who she was, but it came close.
Family life left her looking and longing for love and acceptance. Many times, I am sure she felt as if she had found it only to have her heart broken and her dreams dashed from disappointed love. But that didn’t stop her from pressing on.
Momma was beautiful, as a matter of fact, she still is. I am sure everyone believes their mothers to be beautiful, and I am sure they are. I know my brothers and sisters all know ours is!
But back in the day, her early years, she was a looker.
Dark hair, a splattering of freckles and a va-va-voom figure. She was noticeable. She had, I guess, plenty of boyfriends. But momma wanted love and marriage and of course the proverbial baby carriage, just like all the other young ladies she hung around with.
So, at a young age, she settled on the one she believed would fulfill all those longings. She discovered shortly into the marriage that she had been wrong. It took a little while, but divorce number one was in the books. But still you press on. Momma did.
Husband number two
would prove to have a lasting impression.
He didn’t just bring love and marriage but finally that proverbial baby
carriage! A baby girl was the very thing that started her on her search
for something more.
Momma knew that she needed more. There was a void that needed filled.
Marriage to husband number two was not all it was promised to be. But now she was a mother, not just a wife. Something inside her led her to realize that she needed to go to church.
Being that she had gone to a Baptist church as a child, that is where she began her search. She found a little church and with small child in tow, she went. At least she didn’t send her to church, she took her to church.
Hit and miss, but it was a start.
The marriage didn’t quite last, but at least church did. It wasn’t a strong pull to God but there was a gentle tug.
It wasn’t long though that husband number three was in the wings.
Was this going to be the one that would last? Only time would tell. Only time would tell.
If momma thought husband number one and husband number two
were fraught with difficulty, then she was sorely prepared for what husband
number three and this marriage held in store for her.
This man, husband number three, came with baggage of his own.
Funny thing about baggage, you have to unpack it. It’s not like when you move and get to take your time unpacking. Sometimes when you bring baggage into a marriage it gets unpacked pretty fast.
This baggage got unpacked fast.
Two young boys came with this package deal.
So now, a young mother of one was supposed to take on the role of new wife to a husband that was a cross country truck driver, and a mother to two little boys who had been tossed this way and that with very little stability in their young lives. They were wild and were going to challenge momma at every step of the way.
And challenge her they did. Not because they were demon children, they just weren’t sure of what was going on in their young lives. They had been left to their own devices with no one really taking them under their wing so to speak and they weren’t about to let someone they didn’t even know start.
Momma, even though she was one tough bird, found it hard to corral two little boys who would not be tamed.
With their dad gone so much of the time she was not only mother but father as well.
Two little boys and a little girl to raise, mostly on her own, she needed church more than ever before. So, Sundays she gathered this little brood and headed to church.
Sunday School gave a respite for them all. Now they were learning the fairytales that she had learned so long ago. But that was just it. They were hearing the stories but that was all they were. They weren’t being taught how to live those stories out. They weren’t being taught foundational truths.
They went to church hungry and came home hungry.
Nothing changed Monday through Saturday.
Something had to change. And it did.
The family of five soon became a family of six and not too much later a family of seven.
Two little girls were added to this wild brood with two more a few years later. I am sure that before they came along, turn around and run had crossed her mind.
But as much of a challenge and irritation that raising two little boys was, the thought of abandoning them was out of the question. I am sure the thought of killing them had crossed her mind a few times, but with great restraint she did not do that.
Now with more in the mix, it seemed she was in it for the long haul.
She definitely needed church, well she definitely needed God!
Have you ever been hungry for something, but you just weren’t sure what it was? You eat something thinking “this is it”, but it isn’t. It leaves you, well, wanting.
And that is what church was doing, leaving her wanting. She was getting fed breadcrumbs but no meat and potatoes. She was hungry. Hungry for something she didn’t even know she wanted. Longing for something that would satisfy. Yet she still went to church.
Step in a woman of God that knew just what she was hungry for.
Momma knew that she needed more. There was a void that needed filled.
Marriage to husband number two was not all it was promised to be. But now she was a mother, not just a wife. Something inside her led her to realize that she needed to go to church.
Being that she had gone to a Baptist church as a child, that is where she began her search. She found a little church and with small child in tow, she went. At least she didn’t send her to church, she took her to church.
Hit and miss, but it was a start.
The marriage didn’t quite last, but at least church did. It wasn’t a strong pull to God but there was a gentle tug.
It wasn’t long though that husband number three was in the wings.
Was this going to be the one that would last? Only time would tell. Only time would tell.
This man, husband number three, came with baggage of his own.
Funny thing about baggage, you have to unpack it. It’s not like when you move and get to take your time unpacking. Sometimes when you bring baggage into a marriage it gets unpacked pretty fast.
This baggage got unpacked fast.
Two young boys came with this package deal.
So now, a young mother of one was supposed to take on the role of new wife to a husband that was a cross country truck driver, and a mother to two little boys who had been tossed this way and that with very little stability in their young lives. They were wild and were going to challenge momma at every step of the way.
And challenge her they did. Not because they were demon children, they just weren’t sure of what was going on in their young lives. They had been left to their own devices with no one really taking them under their wing so to speak and they weren’t about to let someone they didn’t even know start.
Momma, even though she was one tough bird, found it hard to corral two little boys who would not be tamed.
With their dad gone so much of the time she was not only mother but father as well.
Two little boys and a little girl to raise, mostly on her own, she needed church more than ever before. So, Sundays she gathered this little brood and headed to church.
Sunday School gave a respite for them all. Now they were learning the fairytales that she had learned so long ago. But that was just it. They were hearing the stories but that was all they were. They weren’t being taught how to live those stories out. They weren’t being taught foundational truths.
They went to church hungry and came home hungry.
Nothing changed Monday through Saturday.
Something had to change. And it did.
The family of five soon became a family of six and not too much later a family of seven.
Two little girls were added to this wild brood with two more a few years later. I am sure that before they came along, turn around and run had crossed her mind.
But as much of a challenge and irritation that raising two little boys was, the thought of abandoning them was out of the question. I am sure the thought of killing them had crossed her mind a few times, but with great restraint she did not do that.
Now with more in the mix, it seemed she was in it for the long haul.
She definitely needed church, well she definitely needed God!
Have you ever been hungry for something, but you just weren’t sure what it was? You eat something thinking “this is it”, but it isn’t. It leaves you, well, wanting.
And that is what church was doing, leaving her wanting. She was getting fed breadcrumbs but no meat and potatoes. She was hungry. Hungry for something she didn’t even know she wanted. Longing for something that would satisfy. Yet she still went to church.
Step in a woman of God that knew just what she was hungry for.
This woman proved over and over again to be a source of strength over and over again through the years. She had what I call unshakable faith. She had and would face adversity in her life that no mother should ever have to face, but she met it head on with a faith and determination that is hard to come by if you don't know where you have put that faith. She was one of my Sunday School teachers and I loved her and all her gentle ways. Can't wait to see her in heaven and thank her for all she poured into me, but mostly about her pursuit of my mother. Because of her tenacious love for our mother and knowing what momma needed. Jesus!
But momma, oh no! She couldn't eat at
that church. She had only been fed breadcrumbs as a child and that is what she was used to. Besides all that, she had seen this type of
church this lady went to, and it scared her. She had walked by a church like that one day,
not going in, and had seen the crazy going on through the window. She was sure they were going to fly right out
one of those windows.
But this woman of God kept on inviting her and telling her about the more she could have until she finally gave in and went to get a little taste.
And it tasted good!
It didn’t take long before momma was feasting at this banqueting table.
Did things become perfect at home? No! They probably got worse.
But once you’ve tasted the goodness of God and your spirit starts getting fed, you start to hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God.
We all went to church.
Sunday morning!
Sunday night!
Wednesday night!
Revival!
We went.
The momma that had struggled so hard to live for God, now lived for and walked with Him. He was her companion.
Was she perfect? No! But she was forgiven and determined and her faith in a living God began to transform her.
It wasn’t magic! She didn’t have all the answers. But she now knew the source of the answers.
She had peace!
She now had a blessed hope.
She now knew that no husband or the search thereof was going to fulfill that longing in her soul that she had wanted for so long like the love of Christ that now filled her very being.
She now had a helper, the Holy Spirit, to teach her and guide her.
Now those fairytales that she had been taught were foundations of faith.
Faith like David that could kill a giant.
So now, within just a couple of years of having an encounter with this man they called Jesus, she decided that not only did her children need to know about Him, but all the children in the neighborhood needed to know.
Momma now had Sunday School on Saturday mornings in our house for all the neighborhood kids.
Cookies, Kool-Aid and Christ!
After a while she took it to the park.
Momma was learning and teaching.
We were her prize students.
She would pray with us. Read the Word to us. Explain it to us.
But mostly she lived it in front of us.
She was literally Jesus in front of us.
I know I witnessed on so many occasions her living out the life of Jesus, being His hands and feet to so many in need.
And it wasn’t easy.
For as much as momma had realized her need of a Savior, daddy did not.
Daddy did not embrace this new lifestyle.
If momma wanted too, more power to her. He was not doing it.
Not that he didn’t go to church, he went, it just didn’t make a change in his way of thinking, acting or really much about him.
As little children we would, as most children do, play what you are being taught.
For instance, as much as you were ready for the school year to be over, for the first week or two of summer we almost always played school.
Well, we were young, four- and five-year-old little girls, my sister and myself and a cousin sandwiched in between that was always over.
So, we played what we knew. Prayer meeting!
Our house at the time was laid out in such a way that you couldn’t see the front porch when you pulled into the driveway. It just so happened that three little girls decided that would be the best place to have prayer meeting. So, we did. Every day!
Daddy was never too pleased to pull into the driveway and come around to go inside only to find three little girls praying for his salvation.
We weren’t bound by physics.
Sometimes we would move our prayer meetings to the back porch.
Daddy thought he would outmaneuver us only to find us praying for him on the back porch.
It took years and years and many more prayers, but I am glad to say that I have a blessed hope of seeing my daddy in heaven because of those prayers.
Now, I have said a lot to get back to my original story.
A drought in West Texas, one of many.
Three little girls now knew that you could pray.
Momma had taught us that you could pray believing and it shall be done!
So, there we were, playing in our front yard. Our dirt and dust filled yard with at least one tree. This tree had a swing. A rope with a piece of wood for a seat.
We had heard the news about how we needed rain. We had heard the adults talk. We needed rain.
We didn’t know the signs at the time, but it was an overcast sky. Darker outside than usual.
But three little girls taking turns on a tree swing felt sadness in their little hearts.
All of our flowers were practically dead. The grass, what little that was left in our dusty old yard, had all withered away.
But what could three little girls do about it. We couldn’t make it rain.
Then one of us got a great idea! I would like to think it was me, but too many years have come and gone to remember that detail. We decided pray!
And pray we did!
We prayed for rain!
We prayed hard!
We prayed in faith! Not the faith of a mustard seed but the whole bush!
It didn’t seem as if we prayed forever, because within just a short time, while we were still praying, we started seeing the fruits of our prayers.
Drops of rain, not sprinkles, but great drops of rain started coming down.
Hitting the dry hard ground so hard that puffs of dirt jumped up.
We ran into the house as fast as our little feet would carry us and excitedly told momma how we had been praying for rain and how it was practically pouring.
And it was! It rained hard. Very hard.
Thunder and lightning crashed all around.
We weren’t afraid. We had prayed for God to open heaven, and He had done just that.
Then it started to rain even harder, so hard in fact, it turned to a hailstorm!
The rest of the flowers that had barely hung on were totally destroyed by the hail that bludgeoned them to their death that day.
Were we distraught? Discouraged?
No!
Saddened that the flowers were gone, but we proudly took the blame for that.
We knew that it was because we had prayed so hard for rain, for a miracle, and it had happened!
Our faith grew in leaps and bounds that day.
God answers prayers and we knew it!
Now my friend, I am asking you, what kind of drought, mountain, valley, are you facing?
You know sometimes we look at the problem and that is all we can see.
If we had kept our eyes on the dirt, the dying flowers, the news reports, we might not have prayed.
But momma had told us that God answers prayers and we believed her.
The answer was already on its way, but we didn’t see it. But how much more did our faith grow when we opened our mouths and our hearts and took our eyes off of the problem and looked to heaven for the answer.
Are you keeping your eyes on your problem or are you praying for rain?
Remember the story or Peter when he was in prison and his friends were all praying for him to be released? God answered the prayer in a mighty way. Peter was standing outside the home where they were praying and knocking to come in. When the door was opened, they couldn't even believe the truth in front of them and went back to praying thinking it was a ghost. They didn’t recognize the answer. They were praying but not truly believing.
Are you praying for rain? Are you praying and believing?
We need to start praying and believing!
Our God is bigger!
Our God is greater!
Our God can do all things!
Thank you, momma, for teaching us to pray!
Thank you for praying for us. For calling our names out to God.
I remember many a night hearing you lament over us, calling out our names in prayer.
God is truly a prayer answering God.
You have children who truly love the Lord with all their hearts.
Have we all been perfect? No!
Has it always been a walk in the park? No!
But because of you, we all know how to pray for rain!
But this woman of God kept on inviting her and telling her about the more she could have until she finally gave in and went to get a little taste.
And it tasted good!
It didn’t take long before momma was feasting at this banqueting table.
Did things become perfect at home? No! They probably got worse.
But once you’ve tasted the goodness of God and your spirit starts getting fed, you start to hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God.
We all went to church.
Sunday morning!
Sunday night!
Wednesday night!
Revival!
We went.
The momma that had struggled so hard to live for God, now lived for and walked with Him. He was her companion.
Was she perfect? No! But she was forgiven and determined and her faith in a living God began to transform her.
It wasn’t magic! She didn’t have all the answers. But she now knew the source of the answers.
She had peace!
She now had a blessed hope.
She now knew that no husband or the search thereof was going to fulfill that longing in her soul that she had wanted for so long like the love of Christ that now filled her very being.
She now had a helper, the Holy Spirit, to teach her and guide her.
Now those fairytales that she had been taught were foundations of faith.
Faith like David that could kill a giant.
So now, within just a couple of years of having an encounter with this man they called Jesus, she decided that not only did her children need to know about Him, but all the children in the neighborhood needed to know.
Momma now had Sunday School on Saturday mornings in our house for all the neighborhood kids.
Cookies, Kool-Aid and Christ!
After a while she took it to the park.
Momma was learning and teaching.
We were her prize students.
She would pray with us. Read the Word to us. Explain it to us.
But mostly she lived it in front of us.
She was literally Jesus in front of us.
I know I witnessed on so many occasions her living out the life of Jesus, being His hands and feet to so many in need.
And it wasn’t easy.
For as much as momma had realized her need of a Savior, daddy did not.
Daddy did not embrace this new lifestyle.
If momma wanted too, more power to her. He was not doing it.
Not that he didn’t go to church, he went, it just didn’t make a change in his way of thinking, acting or really much about him.
As little children we would, as most children do, play what you are being taught.
For instance, as much as you were ready for the school year to be over, for the first week or two of summer we almost always played school.
Well, we were young, four- and five-year-old little girls, my sister and myself and a cousin sandwiched in between that was always over.
So, we played what we knew. Prayer meeting!
Our house at the time was laid out in such a way that you couldn’t see the front porch when you pulled into the driveway. It just so happened that three little girls decided that would be the best place to have prayer meeting. So, we did. Every day!
Daddy was never too pleased to pull into the driveway and come around to go inside only to find three little girls praying for his salvation.
We weren’t bound by physics.
Sometimes we would move our prayer meetings to the back porch.
Daddy thought he would outmaneuver us only to find us praying for him on the back porch.
It took years and years and many more prayers, but I am glad to say that I have a blessed hope of seeing my daddy in heaven because of those prayers.
Now, I have said a lot to get back to my original story.
A drought in West Texas, one of many.
Three little girls now knew that you could pray.
Momma had taught us that you could pray believing and it shall be done!
So, there we were, playing in our front yard. Our dirt and dust filled yard with at least one tree. This tree had a swing. A rope with a piece of wood for a seat.
We had heard the news about how we needed rain. We had heard the adults talk. We needed rain.
We didn’t know the signs at the time, but it was an overcast sky. Darker outside than usual.
But three little girls taking turns on a tree swing felt sadness in their little hearts.
All of our flowers were practically dead. The grass, what little that was left in our dusty old yard, had all withered away.
But what could three little girls do about it. We couldn’t make it rain.
Then one of us got a great idea! I would like to think it was me, but too many years have come and gone to remember that detail. We decided pray!
And pray we did!
We prayed for rain!
We prayed hard!
We prayed in faith! Not the faith of a mustard seed but the whole bush!
It didn’t seem as if we prayed forever, because within just a short time, while we were still praying, we started seeing the fruits of our prayers.
Drops of rain, not sprinkles, but great drops of rain started coming down.
Hitting the dry hard ground so hard that puffs of dirt jumped up.
We ran into the house as fast as our little feet would carry us and excitedly told momma how we had been praying for rain and how it was practically pouring.
And it was! It rained hard. Very hard.
Thunder and lightning crashed all around.
We weren’t afraid. We had prayed for God to open heaven, and He had done just that.
Then it started to rain even harder, so hard in fact, it turned to a hailstorm!
The rest of the flowers that had barely hung on were totally destroyed by the hail that bludgeoned them to their death that day.
Were we distraught? Discouraged?
No!
Saddened that the flowers were gone, but we proudly took the blame for that.
We knew that it was because we had prayed so hard for rain, for a miracle, and it had happened!
Our faith grew in leaps and bounds that day.
God answers prayers and we knew it!
Now my friend, I am asking you, what kind of drought, mountain, valley, are you facing?
You know sometimes we look at the problem and that is all we can see.
If we had kept our eyes on the dirt, the dying flowers, the news reports, we might not have prayed.
But momma had told us that God answers prayers and we believed her.
The answer was already on its way, but we didn’t see it. But how much more did our faith grow when we opened our mouths and our hearts and took our eyes off of the problem and looked to heaven for the answer.
Are you keeping your eyes on your problem or are you praying for rain?
Remember the story or Peter when he was in prison and his friends were all praying for him to be released? God answered the prayer in a mighty way. Peter was standing outside the home where they were praying and knocking to come in. When the door was opened, they couldn't even believe the truth in front of them and went back to praying thinking it was a ghost. They didn’t recognize the answer. They were praying but not truly believing.
Are you praying for rain? Are you praying and believing?
We need to start praying and believing!
Our God is bigger!
Our God is greater!
Our God can do all things!
Thank you, momma, for teaching us to pray!
Thank you for praying for us. For calling our names out to God.
I remember many a night hearing you lament over us, calling out our names in prayer.
God is truly a prayer answering God.
You have children who truly love the Lord with all their hearts.
Have we all been perfect? No!
Has it always been a walk in the park? No!
But because of you, we all know how to pray for rain!
